Blogs from Machu Picchu, Cusco, Peru, South America - page 2

With a later than usual departure we were finally able to rest a little before having breakfast at the rooftop of Hotel Polo Cucso. The breakfast here was again pretty skimpy with cheese, cold-cuts, yogurts and lots of breads. I finally asked if I could have eggs for breakfast. Apparently that was an option all along but there had been no mention of it. I put in my order and received a plate of scrambled eggs but still no avocado to be seen. I asked the head server and he promised to find me some by the time I returned from Machu Picchu. After breakfast we went back to the room to pack. I collected our dirty laundry to drop at the front desk. I had asked the night before if there was a cheaper option ... read more

It was a pandemonium when we reached the bus station in the morning in Aguas Calientes. I thought 6 am would be early enough for a twenty minute bus ride to Machu Picchu to get a glimpse of the sunrise. Well, I was wrong. The line-up to board the bus was snaking along the street. Not to mention the bus ticket counter. Thank God that we already purchased advanced bus tickets so we didn’t have to struggle another line up in the counter. Every 10-15 minutes buses were leaving, totally loaded. Already many have left for Machu Picchu in the earlier buses. Still tourists were pouring in. Anyway, we managed to board the bus. But luck is an unpredictable element that always does not favour you. It had rained last night and the sky was semi ... read more

Fünf Tage Wanderung auf 3.000+ Höhenmetern mit 70 Kilometern Fußweg und einem Pass auf 4.600 Metern über dem Meeresspiegel. Der Salkantay Trek hat es wirklich in sich. Die Belohnung folgt dafür am letzten Tag: Machu Picchu! Wie bereitet man sich auf so einen Trek vor? In erster Linie mit viel Recherche. Was für Peruaner wohl etwas leichter zu bewältigen scheint, weil sie die Höhenluft gewöhnt sind, ist für uns “Flachland-Europäer” eine echte Herausforderung. Unsere Wandergruppe bestand aus sieben Abenteurern aus Frankreich, Spanien, Schweiz, Griechenland, Mexiko und Österreich. Wir waren eine facettenreiche Truppe, zwischen 23 und 53 Jahre alt, und haben uns auf Anhieb gut verstanden. Mit einem gemeinsamen Ziel vor Augen: Machu Picchu. Der Salkantay Trek startet auf rund 3.900 Höhenmetern und führte uns in einer ersten Tagesetappe zum Bergsee Humantay auf 4.200 Metern. Das ist ... read more

After a wonderful night in Lima, we make our way to Machu Picchu via Cusco. We had a good journey to Cusco looking at the Peruvian landscape, and after a decent ride, we make it to our destination. We three are excited to be here. One of us, not me, could speak the language which was very helpful. Our tour to Machu Picchu was the next morning, and we wanted to be fresh when we arrived. As we did in Lima, we walk around Cusco a bit just to get familiar, but we all decided we wanted to be rested up for the upcoming journey, which was realistically the reason for the trip. We have a good supper, head in, and after a good nights sleep, we get up and take a train to Machu Picchu ... read more

As I write this blog, I am sitting in our first real 4 star hotel in Cuzco Peru. Our previous hotels were nice, about 2.5 stars with 3 if you push, but they were out in the wilderness, especially the last two nights in Urbrama. One this we noticed is Peru is POOR. It Thailand is a third world country, Peru is pushing fourth world. The homes are made of mud brick, have no roofs; I will explain why in a moment, mostly unfinished and just about falling down. The no roof has a cost reason. You see if a home has a roof it is considered complete and is thus subject to government taxation. No roof, not complete, no tax. Since they have no money for taxes, this at least makes sense. As we drove ... read more